The following are suggested items to bring with you during hajj:
- Money and Travel Documents, such as visas, passports, tickets, or group identity cards that must be worn as part of your ID from your group.
- Clothes. Since you will wash your clothes at the inn you don’t have to bring a lot of them. Count how many days you will stay in the hotel/apartment. For example, bring only 5 pieces of clothes, 5 nightgowns, a few articles of underwear, 1 thin sweater, 5 scarves, inner-wear, pins, glasses or reading glasses. Check on the internet for temperatures in Arabia at the time of your pilgrimage so that you can estimate how many clothes you need to pack. Your washing clothes need only take a few hours to dry. Tip: The black abaya that is generally worn by Muslim women in Saudi Arabia is also a good idea for saving the amount of clothes you bring because it works like a cloak. You can wear any cloth inside your black abaya so nobody is aware if you only wear the same clean cloth.
- Toiletries and body treatments. Such as bandages/pantyliners, towels, toothbrushes, toothpaste, unscented soap/shampoo, tissue, face cleanser, powder, lipstick, sunscreen, unscented moisturizer to keep the skin moist, nail clippers, sanitizer, and wet wipes. Unscented cream or soap is needed during your ihram.
- Articles for worship such as prayer books, prayer cloths, light prayer mats, scissors for tahalul, a pocketbook for collecting gravel, a plastic bag for your sandals (although they are now available at the Haram Mosque), and non-slippery socks for thowaf and sa’i. For women, there are no special ihram clothes other than your daily clothes that fit to shar’ie. Don’t forget to put your sharp tools such as scissors or nail clippers in your baggage (not in your handbag/cabin luggage).
- Other items such as plastic bags, washing soap, plastic plate/cup/spoons, wipes, flip-flops, casual shoes that are comfortable to wear for walking, socks, sunglasses, an umbrella/hat, and needle/thread. You can bring a thin blanket for mabid in Mina when possible. These items may be needed and although we could have bought them in the nearest supermarket, they are missed when forgotten.
- Medications. Bring required vitamins or medicines for the common cold, cough, fever, and diarrhea.
- Communication media. Cell phones and chargers. Change your original phone card to a local (Saudi) phone to save your money.
- Food. Sometimes our appetite does not agree with the menu provided, or sometimes the catering is late when sending food (especially in Arofah during wukuf when it is difficult to find a food seller or restaurant nearby). Food that we bring from home can be a backup in case of an emergency.
The checklist above can be different for everyone, but hopefully it can provide an idea of what must be prepared. May your hajj Mabrur, Aamiin.
